Massachusetts: Board’s Director Is Fired

The director of the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy has been fired for failing to disclose a complaint against the New England Compounding Center, the pharmacy at the center of a meningitis outbreak traced to a contaminated drug, state officials said Wednesday. The officials said they uncovered a complaint from the Colorado Board of Pharmacy that was sent to the Massachusetts director, James Coffey, on July 26, well before the outbreak began. The complaint said the pharmacy was distributing drugs without proper prescriptions, in violation of its licenses. Mr. Coffey failed to act on the complaint, state officials said. He forwarded the complaint to the pharmacy board’s counsel, Susan Manning, who also failed to act on it, they said. Ms. Manning has been placed on administrative leave.

A version of this brief appears in print on November 8, 2012, on Page A13 of the New York edition with the headline: Massachusetts: Board’s Director Is Fired. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe